To most people, there is nothing more gratifying and fulfilling than having a special person to share love and all other important things in life with. The happiness and pleasure that can be gotten from being in love, along with the countless benefits and the excitement and satisfaction is indescribable. However, having a successful and long lasting relationship requires continuous effort.
If you don’t work at it, your relationships are destined to fail. Although there are some things such as physical attraction and mutual desire that are not totally within your control, there are many fundamental things you can and must do to ensure that the sparks continue to fly and you keep your relationship vibrant and healthy. Here are the top 10 elements to continuously grow and progress your relationship no matter how long you have been together:
Express Love – Everyone wants to feel special and know they are the most important person in the world to their partner. Don’t make the mistake of taking your partner for granted. Let them know how precious they are by regularly expressing your love and appreciation for them, and you will have a much better chance of receiving love in return.
Commit To Success – It takes two people to make a relationship work. If you’re committed to each other no matter what, you will survive through good times and bad. Let your partner know you’re in it for long term and don’t give up at the first sign of trouble. Every relationship has its challenges, and those that last forever, have the commitment to do so as a fundamental ingredient.
Openly Communicate – No one can read your mind. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your partner knows what you are thinking and feeling. Wait for the right moment, but be sure that your significant other understands how you feel about something that’s important to you. If they don’t, their choices may differ from yours which may create resentment. Open communication is a very important foundational element in any relationship. Make sure you maintain it at all times.
Be Honest And Trustworthy – These precious elements go hand in hand and in order to share your deepest and most intimate feelings, both you and your partner need to feel you can trust each other. Once broken, trust can take a lifetime to reestablish, if ever. Don’t give your partner any reason to lose trust in you.
Make Love – Frequent, lively, and passionate love making creates a very deep and critically important bond that will surely bring you closer together. Without it, you will distance yourself and build walls that are difficult to break down. Keep the relationship stimulating by being sensitive to your partners needs and desires, and actively initiate and contribute to regularly fulfilling each others sexual fantasies.
Compromise – No one can or should have it their way a hundred percent of the time. Consistently consider the needs and desires of your partner, and make your best efforts to ensure those needs are met. Compromising is an essential aspect of every relationship and spills over into every other point mentioned here.
Respect Each Other – Showing and sharing mutual respect is another very simple and fundamental element and yet many couples fail in this area. Disrespect comes in many forms, creates resentment and can be very damaging.
Have Fun – Over time, your relationship can get stale if you don’t find new ways to inject some fun into it. Although you and your partner might have differences on what you consider to be fun, make sure you remain flexible and spice up your relationship by trying whatever your partner enjoys before rejecting the idea. Being spontaneous and enjoying fun times not only keeps the relationship interesting while you are together, it also creates pleasant memories that you will both treasure forever.
Be Emotionally Available – Everyone needs to be heard at times and wants a partner that will listen to their problems and emotional challenges. If you are totally consumed with your own personal issues, and are not sensitive to your partners emotions, they will feel a void, and may seek out somebody else that is. Sometimes just listening is enough, and oftentimes your partner will want and need to have their thoughts and feelings validated by you.
Be Faithful – Infidelity is probably the most hurtful and damaging element in any relationship. In fact, it contradicts every other point mentioned here needed for a long lasting and prosperous relationship. Although some couples may survive the effects of cheating, no relationship will benefit when there’s a third party in the mix whether or not the other partner knows about the affair.